Eli’s Essentials and Wine Bar

While an improvement to the dive Jackson Hole that it replaced, it not worth a visit. The baked goods are ridiculously expensive, the food is mediocre at best and the wine pricey.

First off, the woman who worked here was super friendly at the wine bar. I really liked her.
She gave us two glasses of wine and we let her pick any whites to try. It was delicious.
However, for two glasses, the bill came out to $ 34, which I thought was just a bit steep. Eek!!! Not sure I’d return anyitme soon.

4 of 5 stars only because it is so expensive. But everyone knows this with the Eli’s empire. Food is delicious esp the croissants and French toast. The staff could not be better. So lovely and always helpful. Such a delight compared to the slow, sourpuss staff at Yura. Ruby literally is the best.

Don’t waste your time — there are better places in the neighborhood to get coffee and baked goods in the morning — unless you insist on waiting for family to conclude business within eyeshot of the Russian consulate — as we did. I tossed the coffee after 2 sips and the bagel soon after. The price tag (3 bagels, 1 coffee and an OJ) was over 20 bucks. Is Eli paying vig to Putin?

Very expensive and the tiniest portions. The main dishes are so small hey are like appetizers. Wine is just ok. I like to go there in the morning to toast my own bagel and have a cup of coffee.

I felt compelled to buy a coffee and a small ice cream to partake of the air conditioned seating area. It cost $ 10 which was high. Sadly I was quickly ushered out as I didn’t know they were closing.

$ 9.80 gets you an oddly soggy and small bun with scrambled egg, a tiny bit of cheese, and half of a piece of bacon (that half piece costs $ 1.50). Although hot sauce was ordered with it, it’s nowhere to be seen. It’s more than double the price of other, nearby places and is definitely the least tasty. Also, when you order such common food, you’re looked at like YOU’RE the prick.
Go to the corner café, food passion, or go hungry before bothering to go here.

Agree with other posters, this place is pricey. We ordered calamari, asparagus, fetticini, lamb sliders. Everything was miniscule and over priced. The wait staff was friendly and accommodating. We were able to sang a table outside on a gorgeous late spring evening. The food was mediocre for the price. You pay for the location. Nice wine selection.

Terrible and very snooty staff. I came in to purchase a croissant to give it a try. I asked to use the restroom and the counter staff gave me the directions. As I was walking towards the restroom, a woman stopped me and said I could only use it if I was dining at their seated area. She proceeded to lower her glasses and look at me up and down as if I intruded in her home. I explained that I had made a purchase at the counter, but she made me feel like a mouse! How infuriating! I have never felt so belittled! I will never set foot here again.

Terrible service, especially given the half dozen people working the counter, and poor quality. Self-​serve coffee is watery, egg sandwich is covered in oil. Outdoor seating is nice, but not worth it given the cost and inconsistency in quality.

Obscenely expensive. Fifteen dollars for a salad bar. Thirty two dollars for a pound of roast turkey breast. Twenty four dollars for chicken fingers. And… the food and baked goods are mass produced for all of Eli’s stores and are really not with it. Go to a Greek deli down the street and get better food.
Then, and worst of all, he does not refrigerate many of his sandwiches behind the food counter. The bagel with salmon and pâté on a baguette is left out all day in a warm store.
Not a worthwhile addition to the neighborhood.

Do yourselfa favor: don’t go here!
The priciest deli I’ve found so far in NYC and it wasn’t even worth the money. A rip off, to put it simply. $ 7+tax for a small box of prepared salad (and the price wasn’t even labeled). They have sandwiches and soup too, but I’m definitely not going back

This deli is a bit up scale and a bit pricy, but this is Manhattan New York, so rightly should be moderately priced. The meal offerings range from soup and salad to PB&J. They have a wide variety of sandwiches ranging from ham & cheese or PB&J to roast beef with stuffed peppers. The self serve bowl of soup is $ 8, comes with bread and is descent for a quick lunch.

The renovation is lovely but unfortunately the staff are confused and don’t have a process worked out to help and checkout people to keep the line moving. Everywhere you turn there are breads and cookies displayed which leaves very little room for guests to maneuver. We know the bake goods taste good – but please give us some breathing room so we can actually purchase them. I think this location is higher priced than the others and it is not a very pleasant shopping experience. I think you need to get it together. I think the one on 87^th and lexington is far smaller but far better run.

Place looks amazing the staff is super friendly but what a rip-​off! everything is over priced and when i was shopping i got to even see Mr. Eli himself; Not only does the guy take your money but i even heard him curse at an employee! Never going back this mans empire needs to be stopped

This is Eli Zabar’s latest outpost in his ongoing colonization of East 91^st Street. Although the design is really lovely, and the staff seem actually pleasant, this is not a place that normal people will frequent. (Unlike the slumping Jackson Hole that it replaces.)
Almost nothing has a price on it. (Is that even legal?) And what does have a price on it is cause for amusement and/​or fury. $ 35 for a pound of marinated salmon, $ 1 for one (1) banana.
Just in case you don’t get it, there are cookies decorated with the logo’s of prestigious nearby schools: Sacred Heart, Nightingale-​Bamford, etc. (I am not making this up.)
You’ve got to hand it to him: Eli knows his audience. The man’s built an empire from convincing the rich and clueless to part with money because they don’t know any better. But he probably won’t convince you.